In the first part of this article we discussed some basic questions and steps regarding a recruiting Website: What are the goals of recruiting Website, Where to start and what are the criteria for an effective Website.
This part is dedicated to one topic: how to motivate a visitor at our Website to submit his personal details at your Website.

4. What is the secret of an effective Website? Or, what would cause a visitor to become a prospect?
Visitors to our Website are asked to send their personal details using the application form. Naturally, they hesitate before they click the "submit" button. They know that this is the first step only, and it will necessarily generate some kind of response.

At this point we may (or rather should) ask ourselves: What would make these visitors leave their details at OUR Website? How can we motivate them to do what we want? How can we make them overcome their fears?

The answer is short and can be summed up in one word: Credibility!

This is a very important psychological point. Asking from a stranger to expose themselves and send over their personal details must involve confidence and trust before anything else.
Website credibility was the subject of a 3 years' research done in Stanford University. The research, which involved some 4,500 people, has generated a10 guidelines for building the credibility of a Website.
Seven of these relevant guidelines are discussed below.

Guidelines for building the credibility of your Website

1. Make it easy to verify the accuracy of the information on your site: You can build website credibility by providing third-party support (citations, references, source material) for information you present, especially if you link to this evidence. Even if people don't follow these links, you've shown confidence in your material.

2. Show that there's a real organization behind your Website: When you include in your Website testimonials, real stories of real people in your organization, your own picture and contact details and your own story you make the virtual become real and increase the credibility of what you say in your Website.

3. Make it easy to contact you: A simple way to boost your site's credibility is by making your contact information clear: phone number, physical address, and email address.

4. Design your site so it looks professional: It has been found that people quickly evaluate a Website by visual design alone. Attention must be paid to layout, typography, images, consistency issues, and more. Of course, not all Websites gain credibility by looking like CocaCola.com. The visual design should match the site's purpose.

5. Make your site easy to use -- and useful: This is a very important point, as surfers tend to give higher credibility points for sites that are easy to navigate and the content is useful. Some website owners forget about users when they cater to their own ego or try to show the dazzling things they can do with web technology. All these are not contributing to the site's usability, let alone the high cost involved.
Usability is a whole science by itself in the web. We must always remember that the surfer is within a one-click of the mouse away from exiting your site and entering your competitor's. If your Website plays "hard to get" , if what the surfer wants won't be given to him easily and in a clear way your chance to motivate him to fill in the application form, significantly decrease. The bottom line should always be in front of our eyes the Website should serve the surfer not your ego!

6. Avoid using advertising or promotion in your Website: Websites including advertising materials, such as banners, pop-ups etc. score low credibility points by the surfers. Nothing should be standing in the surfer's way or divert their attention from the main target and reason for their visiting your Website.

7. Avoid errors of all types, no matter how small they seem: spelling mistakes, broken links, pages under construction, pictures that can't be opened etc. Errors damage the image of the site and decrease its credibility.

In the third part of this article we will examine various options to own a recruiting Website and the costs involved.